The present invention relates to a method of jointing two members together which is particularly suitable for use in forming the joint between the peripheral edge surface of an internal partition wall and the supporting wall, ceiling and floor surfaces of a building, or between external cladding panels.
There is a need in the building industry for an economic means and method for forming a joint between the peripheral edge surface of a wall panel and the supporting surfaces which it abuts which is secure, waterproof, flameproof and draught-proof and which enables the partition wall to be readily dismounted and reused.
It is well known in the material fastener art to attach two pieces of flexible material together by providing on one piece of material a plurality of projecting fibres with hooked ends and, on the other piece of material a plurality of fibre loops. When the two pieces of material are brought together the hooked fibres are intermeshed with the hook onto the looped fibres so as to fasten the two pieces of material together. The hooked fibres are sufficiently stiff to provide a secure attachment, but sufficiently flexible to allow the two pieces of material to be peeled apart, when required. This type of material fastener is known as VELCRO and is fully described in many patent specifications, a typical example being British Patent Specification No. 1,326,098.
This type of material fastener has a number of disadvantages. It is expensive to manufacture because the fibres on one piece of material must be formed with hooked ends and the fibres of the other piece of material must be looped. The stiffness of the fibres is critical to the proper functioning of the fastening. The material is designed to be peeled apart and the density of the fibres is relatively low for this reason. The fastening is only effective if one piece of material has the hooked fibres and the other the looped fibres. It is therefore necessary to stock both pieces of material and if two members to be fastened are inadvertently provided with hooked fibres or with looped fibres the fastening will be ineffective.
It is also known in the building art from British Patent Specification No. 1,368,260 to fasten a partition wall panel in position by providing a channel in the ceiling surface of a building, providing a resilient gasket on the floor surface and a plurality of studs which project downwardly from the hollow edge surface of the panel. The panel is then located with its upper edge in the channel and its bottom edge on the resilient gasket. The studs extend into or through any pile, carpeting material which may be laid over the gasket and indent the gasket. The engagement of the studs with the carpeting and with the resilient gasket serve to locate the bottom of the panel in position and resist any lateral force applied to the bottom of the panel.
This prior structure has the disadvantages that the resilient gasket is complex and expensive to manufacture, the formation of a channel in the ceiling is uneconomic and often impossible for design reasons and the joint achieved at the bottom edge of the panel is not complete secure. The assembly operation which involves tilting the panel to locate it in the channel is also difficult, particularly if the panel is heavy.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a joint and jointing method which will meet the requirements set out above, but which also avoids all of the disadvantages inherent in the prior art structures and methods.